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The Rotary Club of Bathurst supports many worthwile initiatives. One of those projects is the Upper Dawson Literacy Bridges Project, which will be completing its program for the year this month, before returning in the Fall.

Here is what the project is about, according to the group:

The Upper Dawson Literacy Bridges Project began in May, 2010 with the support of Bathurst Rotary, Social Development, School District 15, Bathurst High School Interact and the Upper Dawson Tenants Association. Children from the Upper Dawson Community come to the center once per month to hear a guest reader from the community read a chosen book. Craft activities centered around the theme of the book are then done by the children. Following the craft, children receive a lunch and get a copy of the book to take home for their own personal library. Research shows that children who have books of their own in their homes, are more likely to be successful in school and are more likely to remain in school longer, making this project extremely important for some of our neediest children in Bathurst.

Since the project’s inception, we have given out over 200 books and each child received a magazine subscription in December so that they would have reading material at their reading level arriving at their home on a monthly basis. The children are thrilled with the reading material they receive and we hear back from their schools about how the children bring their books to school to show their teachers. Our guest readers have included police officers, city councilors, teachers, and radio personalities helping to make this sometimes invisible community more visible and approachable.

The Rotary Club of Bathurst is proud to support this initiative. The Club is also proud of the involvement of the local Interact Club, who assists the volunteers every month.